The Rain Reveals the Leaks: How the Vulnerability of the “Least of These” Reveals the Vulnerabilities in our Own Hearts and Systems

Abstract

When we consider the issue of vulnerability in the context of sexual abuse, we think of the vulnerable as those who have been victimized by abuse, and there is truth in this view.  However, it is also important to recognize the vulnerability that abuse exposes in our own hearts and systems.   It is easy, when the rains are far away, to assume our roofs are well-built and secure, but it is when the rain begins pouring over our own houses that the leaks become obvious.  When we see only the vulnerability within the victims of sexual abuse, we too often blame the victims for their weakness and insist that if they strengthened themselves, the problem of sexual abuse would be resolved.  However, if a child lives in a leaky house, teaching them to hold an umbrella over their head will not solve the problem.  We must pay attention to the cries of the vulnerable to find and repair the hidden leaks in our systems, but we must also examine what the needs of the vulnerable reveal in our own hearts.  As Christ teaches us in the parable of the sheep and the goats, it is how we respond to the cries of the vulnerable and not how many great deeds we claim to perform in the name of Christ which determines whether we are aligned with the Spirit of Christ or another spirit.  An examination of pastoral responses to abuse, academic abuse research, and the Scriptures clearly demonstrate that there are severe ‘leaks’ in the ‘roof’ of the Church which we must address.